The borough’s recycling service has been taken over by environmental company Veolia as part of a £10.3 million cost-cutting bid, according to the Sutton Guardian.

A spokesman for Sutton Council said demand for bins had been “higher than expected”.

Councillor Manuel Abellan, Vice Chair of the Environment and Neighbourhood Committee at Sutton Council said: “We apologise unreservedly for the issues affecting the introduction of our new rubbish and recycling service.

“On Saturday Veolia had thousands of green boxes and a plan in place to restock as needed. The huge demand caught them off guard. It is unacceptable that people had to queue for so long.”

Scott Edgell, General Manager, Veolia South London said: “We are continuing to roll out the new rubbish and recycling collection service and are working hard to complete the transition process quickly. We are working with Sutton Council and residents to resolve any issues as smoothly as possible.

“We thank people for their patience and apologise for the inconvenience the introduction of these new services has caused.”